Cigs Thin Film Solar Cells

Thin film solar cells are commercially used in several technologies including cadmium telluride cdte copper indium gallium diselenide cigs and amorphous thin film silicon a si tf si.

Cigs thin film solar cells.

Continue reading save the date. Copper indium gallium selenide cigs. It is manufactured by depositing a thin layer of copper indium gallium and selenium on glass or plastic backing along with electrodes on the front and back to collect current. Cigs solar cell in full copper indium gallium selenide solar cell thin film photovoltaic device that uses semiconductor layers of copper indium gallium selenide cigs to absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity although cigs solar cells are considered to be in the early stages of large scale commercialization they can be produced by using a process that has the potential to reduce.

The efficiency of cdte solar cells has reached just more than 15 percent and cigs solar cells have reached 20 percent efficiency. However the charm of thin film solar cells is their low thickness which enables processing on flexible lightweight substrates like metal foils or polyimide films. Iw cigstech 8 participants in front of the cigs facade at new zsw building in stuttgart. Tucson arizona usa.

The manufacturing of these solar panels began in germany during 2011 but they are now also made in the united states and china. A thin film solar cell is a second generation solar cell that is made by depositing one or more thin layers or thin film tf of photovoltaic material on a substrate such as glass plastic or metal. A copper indium gallium selenide solar cell or cigs cell sometimes ci g s or cis cell is a thin film solar cell used to convert sunlight into electric power. Because the material has a high absorption coefficient.

In reality silicon wafer cells achieve on average 15 to 25 percent efficiency. There are health concerns with the use of cadmium in thin film solar cells. With efficiencies exceeding 20 measured in the laboratory there may be a continuing place for high efficiency cigs panels in the general solar panel market. Thin film solar panels made with a copper indium gallium selenide substrate contain less toxic cadmium than cdte cells.

Thin film solar cells are finally becoming competitive. Cigs cells also use the toxic chemical cadmium. Iw cigstech 8 has been a great success presenting hot cigs thin film solar cell research and industry news to a packed auditorium in stuttgart germany. Unlike most thin film solar technologies cigs solar panels offer a potentially competitive efficiency to traditional silicon panels.